Piano



Feb- 3 1942- w. A. wM'soN` Erm. l 2,272,075v

P IANO Filed july 3l, 1939 Z'ASheets-Sheet 1 Mgg/Z121@ w l e@ Fb.3,1942. w. A. WATSON Em 2,272,076

PIANO Filed July 31, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIAN Application July 31, 1939, Serial No. 287,468

Burlington, Mass.,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in musical instruments such as include keys and a piano action.

The invention relates more particularly to upright pianos of the kind known as miniature or drop-action pianos. Such pianos are characterized by reduced size, and consequently reduced weight and cost, made possible by lowering the piano action, so that, instead of its being entirely above the level of the key board, it is for the most part below such level. Thus, according to the present practice, the whippens, which are the lowermost members of the action, are connected to the keys by abstracts which extend downward from the rear ends of the keys and are attached to the forward ends of the whippens. The key bied, with the key frame and keys, is directly in front of the action and must be removed to provide access to the action when adjustments or repairs are required. This usually involves disconnecting the individual abstracts from the keys and securing the abstracts to keep them upright when the key bed is removed with this assembly.

According to the present invention, the abstracts are not connected directly to the whippens but t0 pivoted fingers or levers which are carried by the key bed and are normally arranged in operative relation to the whippens so as to transmit impulsesthereto when keys are struck. The abstracts and lingers are thus assembled with the keys and key bed, these members constituting a unit structure which is readily movable from and to operative position with relation to the piano action. The removal of this unit from its normal position directly in front of the action provides ready accessibility to the action, which is one of the principal objects of the invention.

Another principal object of the invention is the provision of an improved touch or impulse mechanism in an upright piano of the dropaction type. Such a touch, approximating that of a grand piano, is realized through the arrangement and relationship of the whippens and actuating iingers as hereinafter described, such relationship resulting in a marked improvement in tone color.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and consequently to reduce the cost and increase the speed of manufacture of pianos of the type described. This is made possible by the fact that the key and abstract assembly is physically separate and readily removable from the piano action. These two assemblies can thus be separately adjusted and alined in accurate jigs so that when the piano is completely assembled the individual fingers will register accurately with the corresponding whippens,

For convenience in obtaining access to the action, the piano case may be made in two major sections, the rear section containing the strings and action, and the front or consolesection having the key bed, keys, abstracts and ngers. f desired, the console section may be hinged at one end to the main section so as to be swung out therefrom, both sections preferably having support elements normally resting on the floor for stability of the piano as `a whole, orA mutually supporting each other.

Other advantageous features of structure will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, and from the drawings of which- Figure l is a perspective View of a piano embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the piano shown in Figure 1, opened up for access to the action.k

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the structure of the playing mechanism.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure Il but showing the parts in a different position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 3.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a piano of the miniature or drop-action type, this type of piano being an upright piano which is considerably smaller than the conventional upright piano. In the ordinary upright piano the piano action is entirely above the level of the keyboard so that the piano `casing which houses the action extends considerably above such level. In the piano illustrated, the action is dropped to a much lower level so that it is for the most part below the level of the keys. This results in a considerably smaller and lighter casing, thus saving materially in the cost of construction.

In the piano illustrated on the drawings, the casing comprises two separable sections, namely, the 'main or scale section I0 in which is housed and supported the customary sounding board, strings and piano action, and a front or console section l2 which supports operating mechanism for the piano action. The main or scale section rests directly on the floor and the console section l2 also is provided with supporting members such as a pair of legs I4 which rest upon the iioor. The console may also have a pedal frame i6 to support a set oi' pedals I8 and the vertical rods 20 to which the pedals are connected. The console section I2 may be entirely separable from the main section I or may be permanently connected thereto as by suitable hinge means 22. In Figures 4 and 5 is illustrated a particular form of hinge which may be employed to connect the sections of the piano together. As shown, this consists of a pair of hinge members 26 and 26 pivotally connected by a vertical hinge-pin 30.

The member 2B is fixed in the casing section I2,

the member 26 being in the form of a plunger which is slidably mounted in a bore 32 in the casing section I0 to shift the hinge axis laterally. The plunger 26 is provided with a head 34 which limits the outward movement of the plunger 26 by engagement with a sleeve 36 fixed within the bore 32. When it is desired to swing the console section I2 away from the main section I0, the former is pulled forward until the head 34 engages the sleeve 36 as shown in Figure 5. If desired, a locking element 40 may be provided to retain the plunger 26 in such position. As the hinge-pin 30 is now clear of the bore 32, the console section I2 may be swung away from the main section I0, giving ready access to the piano action. When it is desired to restore the piano to its normal condition for use, the console section is swung back to its position parallel to the main section, whereupon the detent 40 is pushed in against a spring 42 so as to permit the plunger 26 to slide rearwardly in the bore 32. As indicated in Figure 2, two or more such hinge means may be employed to connect the sections together. When the sections are in their normal assembled condition, they may be securely held together by any suitable fastening means such as a bolt 44 and finger nut 46 on one of the sections engaging a bracket 48 on the other section, such fastening means being provided at each end of the piano as indicated in Figure 2.

While the drawings illustrate a hinge having a laterally shiftable, vertical axis, it is to be understood that any other types of hinge means may be employed if desired.

Figure 3 illustrates in section the playing mechanism contained in the piano. This includes a piano action and an operating mechanism therefor. The piano action per se is of customary construction and comprises a hammer 50 mounted on a stem 52, the latter normally resting against a felt pad 54 on the soft pedal rail 56. The hammer stem is secured to a hammer butt 58 which is pivoted as at 60. The

action also includes the usual bumper 62 and back-check 64, the latter being carried by a whippen 66 which is pivoted as at 68 to a rail 10. A damper 'l2 normally rests against a string or strings 14 and is carried by a lever 16 which is pivoted at 'I8 and is pressed by a damper spring 80. Each individual damper is actuated by a spoon 82 mounted on the rear portion of the whippen 66. The entire set of dampers is actuated by a pedal-controlled bar 84. The rocking movements of the whippen impart impulses to the hammer butt through a jack 86 which is pivotally mounted on the whippen. The piano action consists of a sufficient number of groups of the foregoing elements to provide one group for each string, it being understood that a string may consist of a. single wire or a group of two or three wires for each note. The action is mounted in the casing section I0 in the customary manner.

The term piano action as employed in the specification and claim is intended to include the structure described in the foregoing paragraph but not the operating means hereinafter described.

Operating mechanism for the piano action illustrated in Figure 3 is carried by the console section I2 and comprises a series of lingers or levers 90 which are pivotally mounted at their forward ends on a finger-rail 92 by means of pivot pins S4, leather straps, or any other convenient or desirable means for forming articulating joints between the fingers and the rail. The inner end portion 96 of each finger 90 projects beneath the outer end of a corresponding whippen 66 which has a rolling engagement thereon, so that when a finger 90 is rocked upward about its pivot 94 it imparts an impulse to the whippen 66, causing the movable elements of the piano action to function in their intended manner. As indicated in Figure 3, the outer end of each whippen is rounded where it touches the corresponding lever, and this rounded end portion overlaps and engages the upper face of the inner portion 96 of the lever. This upper face which is engaged by the whippen slopes downward and inward, and, as a result, the touch of the playing mechanism can be regulated by adjustably shifting the levers 90 in or out, but when the adjustment has once been correctly made no further adjustment of the ngers should be necessary. The touch of the piano as a whole may readily be adjusted, however, to suit individual taste by adjustably shifting the whole console in or out, this being readily permitted by the particular kind of hinge elements employed, as shown `in Figures 4 and 5, and the fastening means shown in Figure 3. Each ringer 90 is connected as by an abstract 98 of stiff wire to the inner end portion of the key |00. To this end, the inner end of the key is slotted as indicated in Figure 6 to receive the upper portion of the abstract 98, the end portion of the abstract being screw-threaded to receive an adjusting element such as a iinger-nut |02 which rides on the top of the key |00 and is therefore readily accessible. The lower end of the abstract is hooked through a hole |04 in the finger 90 between the ends thereof or is otherwise pivotally secured thereto. Each key |00 rocks on a fulcrum |06 which is a part of the key frame |08, the latter being mounted as usual on a key bed I|0. The rail 92 may be secured directly to the bottom of the key bed I0 adjacent to the inner edge thereof or may be secured to the side walls of the casing section I2, or otherwise. However secured, the rail 92 is below the level of the keys |00 as are also the fingers 90 which are rockably attached to the rail 92.

It is evident from Figure 3 that the abstract and key assembly, which includes the fingers 90 and is supported by the casing I2, is physically separate from the piano action and is readily removable therefrom. Thus, in order to get at the piano action for repairs or adjustments, it is only necessary to release the fastening means holding the two casing sections together and to swing the console section away from the main section, no preliminary disconnecting of the playing elements being required. Likewise, when the console section is pushed back home against the casing section, the row of lingers 90 are thereby positioned in registry with the corresponding whippens 66 so that the playing mechanism is at once ready for operation. In order to avoid possible damage by reason of interference between any of the fingers 9B and the whippens i when the console section of the piano is moved back against the main section, a safety locking device may be provided, such device consisting oi a rod H2 extending across and normally spaced above the row of iingers Sii, ri`his rod may be connected by a bell crank lid to a push rod lit having a handle or linger-piece liti at the outer end thereof. The bell crank H4 is pivotally mounted as at ist on the rail iii so that the locking device is movable as a unit with the abstract and key assembly when the console section is swung away from the main section. When the knob H3 is pushed in, the rod H2 swings down to the dotted position shown in Figure 3, resting on the tops of the iingers Si@ and holding them in their depressed position. This prevents any clashing with the Whipp-ens tit when the cons-ole section is moved to its normal position and avoids any accidental injury such as might occur if a tool or other object were carelessly left on some of the keys while the console section was being swung back to its position against the main section. The locking-element H2 may be yieidingly maintained in its active or inactive positions by means of a detent element 22 mounted on the rod iid so as to engage a Xed boss lili. Movement of the rod H6 causes the detent element EEE to ride over the boss IM, thus springing the rod liti slightly. rI'hus the locking mechanism is yieldingly retained in either position.

As indicated in Figure 2, the pedals i8 are preferably carried by the console section i2, the members E@ and 84?- which are operated by the pedals being carried by the main section Iii. Connecting means having separate parts are provided to connect the pedals operatively with the elements to be operated thereby when the sections of the piano are secured together. One such connecting means is illustrated in Figure 2 and consists of a rockable element it@ which is normally actuated by a lever [32 carried by the console section and connected to the sustaining pedal i8. When the sections of the piano are secured together, the end portion of the lever it engages under the element i3d, so that when the sustaining pedal is depressed the lever i322 rocks the element its, thus actuating the member Si to swing the dampers iii away from the strings iii as is customary in piano actions. A similar connecting mechanism may be provided to connect the s it pedal with the soit pedal rail 5t, such connection not being shown on the drawings.

It is evident that Various modiiications and changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claim.

We claim:

An upright piano having a casing, including two relatively movable sections, said piano having a playing mechanism comprising two separable parts mounted on said sections respectively, one of said parts including a piano action with pivoted whippens projecting forward from their pivots, the other said part including a set of keys, abstracts attached to and extending down from said keys, a lever for each abstract pivoted at its forward end and having a rear end portion with a straight upper edge which normally slopes downward and rearward and engages under the forward end of its corresponding whippen, each said whippen having a rounded forward end edge having a rolling engagement with said straight upper edge oi its corresponding lever, and means connecting each lever at an intermediate point thereof to its abstract.

WILLIAM A. WATSON. EARL W. SMITH. 

